TRADING CARD CLOSE UP # 7: Star Wars & Wonder Bread!

Okay, what 45-year old geek with a pulse didn't collect Star Wars trading cards back in 1977?   I know I certainly did. I also remember that Wonder Bread released a series of cards from the Lucas film at the time. Which meant that as kids, we had to relentlessly pressure Mom and Dad at the grocery store to buy us a loaf of Wonder Bread, so we could get that ONE measly card. Ah yes, commercialism...

Anyway, I have memories of going to a Shop Rite in New Jersey, near Verona if I recall, just dying to get to the bread aisle, so I could look 

for the Wonder Bread loaves with the Star Wars cards in them. Worse, I remember groping the soft, compliant bread (mmmm...Wonder Bread....) to see if I could expose the card inside, and see if it was one that I still needed for my collection. I think I was in second grade at the time...

Because I'm obsessive, I guess, I still own my Wonder Bread Star Wars cards, at least a few of them, so I thought it would be nice to feature them on a trading card close-up today.

As you can see from these cards, they feature images of the 

characters from the film; the title Star Wars running up the right corner, and the names of each character in bold red lettering across the bottom.

On the back of each card is a description of the character. Darth Vader, for instance, is described as "an awesome, evil figure dressed in flowing black robes" who "uses his extra sensory powers to aid Governor Tarkin in putting down the rebellion." Artoo-Detoo's legend describes the droid as a "round, meter-high information retrieval robot, whose face is a mass of computer lights surrounding a single radar eye."

Here, you can see cards three (Princess Leia Organa), four (Han Solo), Five (Darth Vader), Eight (Artoo-Detoo), and Twelve (Stormtroopers).

I don't know how many more there were of these in all, but I know I must have eaten at least five loaves of Wonder bread...